“Spatial Integrity Constraints from Conceptual Modeling and their support in Spatially-extended DBMSs”

Clodoveu Davis

Computer Science Department
Universidade Federal de Minas Gervais

Abstract:
Relational database management systems (DBMS) typically offer, through SQL, functions and statements dedicated to establishing and enforcing integrity constraints for conventional data. Spatial extensions for RDBMSs add simple geometric data types, spatial reference systems, and spatial functions, but they have not advanced in the direction of a general specification of spatial integrity constraints. Further, there is a large semantic distance between abstract representation alternatives used in conceptual modeling for spatial databases, as opposed to the much simpler point/line/polygon definitions included in spatially‐extended RDMBSs. This distance has to be covered by application code, or by using general‐purpose (and frowned upon) mechanisms such as triggers. An argument will be presented toward (1) including more advanced spatial data types in spatial databases, and (2) the need for future expansion of data and indexing structures for spatial DBMSs to support the enforcement of spatial integrity constraints by the DBMS, to the benefit of superjacent applications, with greater efficiency.

Bio:

Clodoveu Davis is an associate professor at the Computer Science Department of Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. He lectures in graduate and undergraduate courses, and coordinates the Information Systems major at UFMG. In 2015 he created the Interdisciplinary Computer Science Lab (dubbed LabCS+x, where x stands for any other area of knowledge), which he continues to coordinate. He is also the program chair of GeoInfo, the main Brazilian conference on geoinformatics. His primary research interests are: spatial databases, spatial data infrastructures, geographic information systems (GIS), geographic data modeling, geocoding and urban GIS applications.

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The objectives of the ThinkSpatial brown-bag presentations are to exchange ideas about spatial perspectives in research and teaching, to broaden communication and cooperation across disciplines among faculty and graduate students, and to encourage the sharing of tools and concepts.